30 December, 2018

Odisha travels

On a family vacation to Bhubhneshwar, we stayed in Mayfair Lagoon- a gorgeous property and the best one in Bhubhneshwar.

Odisha is a place to shop for handloom sarees. They are bit expensive though. Do not expect that you will get some cheap deals. The exquisite Sambalpuris, Bomkais, Dola bedi, etc, do burn a big hole in the pocket and they are so pretty that you just go on a shopping spree. Another thing worth buying from there is Cuttack filigree jewellery. For this, one must go to Cuttack. It is 40 minutes drive from Bhubhneshwar. Recommended shops to buy your handloom sarees are Priyadarshini, Boyonika and Utkalika. Then you may also check Kala Mandir. The rest of the shops are a waste of time.

Odisha food for my palette is bit spicy. The local restaurants are nothing noteworthy. So stick to having food in different restaurants in Mayfair Lagoon.

While in Bhubhneshwar, do make a day trip to Puri and Konark. Both can be done on the same day.

Another must visit place is Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, formerly called Kataka Caves or Cuttack caves, are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar. The caves are situated on two adjacent hills, Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvata in the Hathigumpha inscription. They have a number of finely and ornately carved caves built during 2nd century BC. It is believed that most of these caves were carved out as residential blocks for Jaina monks during the reign of King Kharavela. Udayagiri means "Sunrise Hill" and has 18 caves while Khandagiri has 15 caves.

It is surprising that in Europe, people travel to see sites that are two centuries old. Whereas in India, we have heritage sites that are built in 2nd century BC and tourism is not promoted with them. Do check them.

Few of my pictures in Mayfair Lagoon. More will follow in the next blog posts.